FlowTracker2® Handheld-ADV®

Wading Discharge Measurement Instrument

The FlowTracker2 (FT2) handheld Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV®) has all the technology you have grown to know and trust with the original FlowTracker, but now comes with functional, modernized features (Bluetooth, GPS and large color screen, to name only a few) based on the evaluation and feedback from hydrologists, researchers and scientists who have made the FlowTracker their instrument of choice.

But the real power becomes clear from the moment you start to collect data. Each step of the way FT2 guides you along the measurement process with visual prompts and SmartQC audio alerts just in case something important needs your attention.

FT2 handheld software is intuitive, easy to navigate and includes real-time plots of point data, QC parameters, and measurement verticals, giving you everything you need at-a-glance. Get defensible data correctly, the first time, every time, and minimize data handling back at the office.

With rugged construction for any climate and multiple display options for both day and night, FT2 goes whenever and wherever you need it to go.

Features

Specifications

Software

At its core, FT2 uses SonTek’s tried-and-true ADV technology, vetted for decades by experts across the globe, in hydraulics labs and wide-ranging field environments. Improved and perfected for FT2, the acoustic-based ADV sensor offers unparalleled accuracy, particularly in low flow, and in the shallowest water of any wading device. 2-D data in the horizontal plane (2D/3D option available) allows the most comprehensive QC and understanding about flow conditions. User calibration is never required, and 24/7 tech support from SonTek and our worldwide team is only a call or click away.

Some of the major improvements now featured in FT2 come straight from field users like you. Here is a short list of time-saving, fool-proof features:

FT2 battery compartment is noweasy to access in the field:NO TOOLS REQUIRED!

SmartQC is a built-in quality control feature that gives you the added assurance your FlowTracker data is correct. With each measurement, data is compared to a variety of adaptive QC criteria to ensure the best measurement possible.

1Defined as power on with screen on at 100% brightness, ADV sensor pinging 50% of the time, GPS off, and no sleep periods. Actual battery life will vary depending on FT2 settings, manner of use and brand of battery.2Ideal conditions and settings. GPS data are intended for approximate georeferencing and site ID.3Remove batteries from FlowTracker2 handheld if storage temperatures exceeds operating temperature of Alkaline and NiMH batteries as stipulated above.

FlowTracker2 Software - PC

Comprehensive tables and time series graphs allow you to visualize and QC data during analysis. Change SmartQC criteria and edit data—yet rest assured the original file will always remain untouched. FT2's open-source JSON file format is ready to be read into any organization's database, and is supported with direct import to Hydstra and WISKI.

Graph, view, analyze, and edit data collected with the FlowTracker2 instrument, and generate reports using the Windows-based FlowTracker2 software. Station data as well as point measurements can be edited, yet the original data file will always be preserved. View beam checks and perform many other diagnostic and QC checks whose criteria can also be manipulated in software settings. Generate or edit template files in the office which can be uploaded to the FlowTracker instrument and used to save time in the field. Export data to *.CSV format or import the FlowTracker's open-souce JSON files directly to databases.

Some of the latest improvements include:

Handheld Software

Improved work flow and display for under ice measurements

Station number now included in title bar at each point measurement so you always know what station you are at and how many you’ve performed

The maximum number of templates has been increased to 100 so you can store your entire agency’s site information for quick measurement set-up

Desktop Software

The mean velocity calculation in the discharge summary is now based on Q/A (and not the measured mean of all stations)

User can now enter manual temperature and salinity values in the supplemental data

Additional valuable information has been added to the discharge summary: beam check plots, start/end time

Wading Rod Kit

Tall Wading Rod Kit

Spotlight

The SonTek FlowTracker was introduced in 2001 with the intention of providing laboratory quality ADV® (acoustic Doppler velocimeter) velocity measurements in a format suitable for wading discharge measurements. Since that time, the FlowTracker has gained widespread support both in the U.S. and overseas as a modern alternative to conventional mechanical current meters...

Explore

Support

SonTek - A Xylem Brand

SonTek, advancing environmental science in over 100 countries, manufactures affordable, reliable acoustic Doppler instrumentation for water velocity measurement in oceans, rivers, lakes, canals, harbors, estuaries, and laboratories. Our instruments use sound waves to tell you how fast water is moving, where it is moving, and even if it is not moving at all. Our customers are scientists, engineers, hydrologists, research associates, water resource planners and anyone that needs to collect velocity (speed) data in every kind of body of water imaginable.

SonTek is a NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador! The Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador initiative is an effort to formally recognize NOAA partners who are improving the nation's readiness against extreme weather, water, and climate events. As a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador, SonTek is committed to work with NOAA and other Ambassadors to strengthen national resilience against extreme weather.